Now, this one guy I know might be getting a house in my neighborhood, if so, he plans to put a rottweiller there to serve as, well, a guard dog.

I didn't give him the idea, he's had a dog before, but I see this as perfect oppertunity to be with a dog.

Anyways, after eid (Islamic holiday, it's at the end of Ramadan. Were currently 17 days into it.) that we will know whether or not he's getting a house.

Anyhow, I plan on taking care of his dog as he will be alone. So I'll take him for walks/runs, clean him, play with him, all that good stuff.

But since it's all concrete here, I have no place to walk him on soft surfaces...

So my question is

Is there any kind of shoes for dogs?
For walking on concrete?

I know dogs ventilate through their mouth and paws... If I took sone kinda soft fabric and wrapped it around the paws (neatly) and wet it, would that suffice?

I'm honestly just pitching in the dark here, could use some (constructive) opinions or suggestions if you don't mind.

Thanks in advance,

Ibrahim

Winston

August 26th, 2010, 09:45 AM

Abe if you google shoes for dogs you will find all kinds of stuff but here is one I can think of at the moment!

http://www.muttluks.com/

Cindy

onster

August 26th, 2010, 10:59 AM

Ibrahim, I think the dog would be ok walking on concrete. When I've seen dogs with shoes its usually to protect their paw pads against salt in the snow or extreme temps. I could be wrong though :shrug:

Sew-sew-steve

August 26th, 2010, 11:47 AM

Onster, happy Ramadan/أمبارك عليتش الشهر !

Anyways, apparently a dogs paw will wear down or deteriorate (something like that), when subjected to Walking/running on hard surfaces for long periods of time.

My issue wouldn't be just the hard surface, it's the heat aswell, so I'd need a shoe that has good ventilation.

Thanks Cindy for the link, I was just pitching in the dark with the dog shoe idea, really happy they are real lol.

onster

August 26th, 2010, 12:01 PM

are there no parks or anything you can go running with the dog on, to give it a break from the concrete? thing is the dog might not like to wear shoes

and thanks, kol sana wenta tayeb ramadan :)

Sew-sew-steve

August 26th, 2010, 12:31 PM

I could, but that's a good 20-30 minute drive. I Plan on doing it when I feel I have enough control over him/her.
Aaand, when I figure out a way to not dirty my sisters car with dirt or saliva lol, she'll kill me.
I was thinking of buying some covers and laying them where the dog would be, or I could buy a crate.

I'm currently looking at ways to make dog shoes.
Open to suggestions if anybodys got any.

Floppy Dog

August 26th, 2010, 12:45 PM

My personal experience with dog "shoes" has not been very good. We've tried them several times on our dog and they either don't stay on or she litterally steps out of them. The only people I know of who have had any success have been mushers (sled dogs wear shoes to keep snow from bunching between their pads) and hunters who hunt in the Thompson Okanagan where we have cacti. Once the dogs get a cactus spine in their pads, they're ok with wearing the shoes.

I'm wondering if it would be possible to walk the dog in the early morning or late evening when the pavement has had a chance to cool. Also, if you want to go with the shoes idea, perhaps getting the dog used to them as soon as possible before you start taking him for a walk?

I don't plan on making him/her wear them right off the bat, like you said, I'll try and ease into it.
My mom likes to sew, so I think I can create a good shoe that's got good ventilation. I mean, if people use duck tape, how bad could being more creative be?

Happy cats, buying isn't an option for me, because the shipping is a huge factor, and it's too expensive for it's quality (I think). You could make them at home if you find a comfortable and well ventilated model.

I'm just so intrigued with dogs wearing shoes lol.

Longblades

August 26th, 2010, 03:58 PM

I found several websites for instructions on making your own dog shoes. I have never put shoes on my dog so cannot attest to any of these but you might want to give a look.

http://dogshoes.net/dog-shoe-tutorial.htm

http://domestikgoddess.com/sew-your-own-winter-dog-boots/

http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/diy/boots.htm

You know what I think I'd try first? I have seen little childrens' socks that have a non-slip base so they can function as little slippers. Rotties are not small dogs, they might fit. Maybe you could modify them with something to provide cushioning? And a piece of velcro to keep them on? Could you find any kind of child's sock?

Sew-sew-steve

August 26th, 2010, 04:29 PM

Yeah yeah those child socks with the grip on the bottom. I was thinking of getting some kind of grip like material to put on the bottom.

I thought about socks but, they might tear with maybe the first use. I thought of putting multiple
Socks, but i need to make sure its ventilated.
anyways, thanks longblades I'll be sure to bookmark each link.